Posted: 04/15/2010 at 2:39pm | IP Logged

Alicia

LOL Yes but just as a piece of coal requires heat and pressure to become a diamond the results will be astounding!!!

Its worth it!!  Blesssssings to you!

Posted: 04/15/2010 at 2:49pm | IP Logged

Hey Jeffrey & Jerilyn

Yes He sure wants to do something awesome with us. It is amazing how only Jesus could take a lump of clay and create ANYTHING that He wants with it. Eveything that He creates is with perfection. He dosen't make any mistakes.

Dont fret on the Potters Wheel. When you look back and see the end results you will also be amazed.

Posted: 04/16/2010 at 8:34am | IP Logged

Dear Kayla,

Yes to your question.  I have been tempted to give up many times. 

But when you say "my faith is ALL i have" only having faith is a a very good place to be.  As you know, without faith it is impossible to please him.  And whom else do we seek to please?   

From 2006-2009 I could say I was in that place with just a bit of thread holding me.  This is a place of submission to the wheel is it not? 

When I saw this post, my heart lept because the Master Potter lesson is very dear to me.  It was during these 3 years that I was again thrown and remolded.  Praise God, he never wastes anything in our lives and all is redeemed in His time.   He makes all things beautiful in His time.   

My only daughter had graduated from college and my husband and I had also laid Isaac on the altar.  It was a very difficult time and to others - even close friends, it looked like we were in total isolation.  Later it was revealed that this was a time of what one of His handmaidens told me was - Holy Privy.   

The Lord led my husband to "resurrect" a delapidated garage on the back of our property into a "potting shed" for me because gardening is a passion.  My expectation weren't too high for this shed as I like primitive structures and boy was this primitive.  A dirt floor and very old wood walls.  

He is a skilled mason so this building was far beyond what I was expecting.  He rebuilt the walls out of brick and used old brick from a local college demo job for the floor.  French doors and 9 paned windows were rescued from a salvage yard and put to use.  Left over stone from other jobs were placed under the windows.  The ceiling was made out of beadboard using a tongue and groove paneling pattern.  A couple of small chandeliers were installed for lights.  I knew this was to be more than "A potting shed" and as I prayed about what the Lord wanted from it, he led me to call it "The Potter's Shed" and gave me Jer 18 and Roman 9.  Yes - I was again on the wheel and being formed for his use and purposes.    

This became a small hobby business and one thing led to another.  I was led by Him to hold sales events for these homemade herbal products in the market places.  In those places I would have to renew my mind to His word and get rid of some of my old religious mindsets.  Although it appeared to the religious that this was a "new age" business and there was persecution from it, the Lord was drawing people from new age to these events and allowing opportunities to minister to them in a variety of ways.  At almost every event, there was an opportunity to share and pray with someone.

Then the Lord told me before the start of last year's season to begin to pray applicable scriptures over certain products that I made.  I was also instructed to paint Psalm 24 across the top of the inside of my tent.  I started to receive incredible testimonials from customers about how these products were healing them of different things.  I knew the products were good (natural and of quality ingreidents), but not THAT good.  It was the WORD prayed over them and no one was even aware of it.  Glory to God.  My last event of 2009 was such a blast to hear all of these stories and realize it was just the Lord doing miracles.

There are other challenges still going on and there is the continual working as we each must choose to become more and more formed into His image.

But I guess what I hope to encourage you in is that it is okay for us to give up.  Sometimes we may even think we are giving up on Him in this place but if you are Christs, you know that is not possible.  Your heart tells you so.  He is remolding you and creating something new from that which was old.  A new wineskin.  New birth.  New life.  Resurrection Life.  A new vessel. 

Rejoice because your faith is about to be exponentially increased and you are about to be resurrected!!! 

REJOICE! REJOICE!  REJOICE!

Posted: 04/16/2010 at 8:35am | IP Logged

Elaine,

Thanks for a great post!!!!

Posted: 04/16/2010 at 2:16pm | IP Logged

Wow! What Awesome responses! I got so blessed reading all your replies. I have been on the Potters Wheel many times. I guess every once in awhile we need a little working on because our glazing gets a little dull or we get a few chips, dents and cracks from being in this worlds environment. Thank ya'all!!

Bountiful Blessings!!!